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The voice of The Sky Valley since 1899Tue, 31 Mar 2015 19:52:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.3Olson Tech | Giving back, one computer at a timehttp://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/17/olson-tech-giving-back-one-computer-at-a-time/
http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/17/olson-tech-giving-back-one-computer-at-a-time/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 19:22:31 +0000http://www.monroemonitor.com/?p=13253To Nick Olson, it’s about more than just fixing computers. It’s about giving back to the community, honoring someone that he loved and working to ensure that everybody has access to technology – no matter what their financial situation might be. At Olson Tech (403 W. Stevens Ave. Suite No. 1), near downtown Sultan, Olson [...]

Nick Olson left his other job recently to focus on Olson Tech full time. Photo by Chris Hendrickson

To Nick Olson, it’s about more than just fixing computers. It’s about giving back to the community, honoring someone that he loved and working to ensure that everybody has access to technology – no matter what their financial situation might be.

“If I don’t know how to do it, I’ll figure out how to do it,” Olson said. “The day I quit learning is the day I shut this place down.”

Focusing on technology, charity

And that day won’t be coming anytime soon. Olson just retired after 10 years at Les Schwab in Monroe so that he could focus his efforts on growing and maintaining his business. Open in Sultan since June 2014, he recently expanded, moving to a larger space in the same building.

Since opening his doors, Olson has worked to develop relationships in the Sky Valley community, including both Sultan and Monroe. He has worked with the school districts and the Sultan Education Foundation to help ensure that all kids who need computers have access to them.

He is committed to working with families who are undergoing financial hardship and will take old computers, refurbish them and provide them to families in need.

“If there’s someone who is struggling or doesn’t have a computer, let me know,” Olson said. “That’s what we do.”

Last winter, Olson engaged in his “Take Winter by Storm” initiative, during which he sold raffle tickets in an effort to raise money to provide food and gifts to Sky Valley families in need. Each person who purchased a raffle ticket was automatically entered into a drawing to win a free Hewlett-Packard laptop, which Olson awarded right before Christmas.

Through his efforts, he was able to sponsor seven Snohomish County families, providing them with Christmas presents and helping to make their holidays a little bit brighter.

Life-changing events

While Olson is hopeful that his company will be a financial success, being of service is also a key aspect of his business model. This is due to a life-changing event that occurred in November 2010, when his fiancée, Amy Louise Luft, passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in Monroe.

“I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning to 50 missed calls,” Olson said. “That was literally the worst day of my life.”

Luft had a heart for helping those less fortunate than she was, particularly the disabled. Born in Bellevue, Luft grew up in Monroe, attended Monroe schools and graduated from Monroe High School in 2008. She enjoyed worked with disabled children, and would spend her summer breaks helping them learn to ride horses at a Snohomish nonprofit called EquiFriends. She hoped to obtain her pilot’s license one day, and loved camping, music, travel and spending time with her friends.

She passed away on Nov. 22, 2010.

“A lot of the technology stuff that I do to give back now is because that’s what she liked to do,” Olson said. “It kind of rubbed off on me, so it’s more of something that we do for her.”

]]>http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/17/olson-tech-giving-back-one-computer-at-a-time/feed/0Sultan church hosts clothing drivehttp://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/10/sultan-church-hosts-clothing-drive/
http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/10/sultan-church-hosts-clothing-drive/#commentsTue, 10 Mar 2015 18:51:04 +0000http://www.monroemonitor.com/?p=13166Clean your closet and bring unwanted clean clothing, sheets, blankets and shoes to United Methodist Church (212 Birch Ave.) on April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help Tabitha House. Bring your items to the back parking lot of the church. For more information, visit ow.ly/K7GA6

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office held its 2014 awards ceremony last month. The event, held annually, is meant to honor deputies, officers, administrative staff and volunteers who go above and beyond.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Sheriff Ty Trenary presented to attendees, both acknowledging some of the year’s successes and recalling some of the tragedy.

“In March last year, the Oso landslide killed 43 people and, in a matter of seconds, wiped out an entire neighborhood,” Trenary said. “Many of you are here tonight because of that event, and my deep heartfelt thank you for all the tireless work and effort that you put into bringing those 43 people home.”

He spoke of the Marysville Pilchuck High School incident, in which a student shot five classmates, fatally wounding four of them before shooting himself. Trenary said that many of the deputies who responded at Marysville were the same officers who responded in Oso.

In 2014, Snohomish County patrol deputies responded to 257,229 calls for service, while corrections staff processed more than 26,000 inmates at the Snohomish County Jail. The jail saw major reforms, including a transition to electronic medical records and modifications to the way individuals are booked.

Honoring Police Chief Beaton

A total of more than 40 volunteers and employees were recognized at the ceremony, including Sultan Police Chief Monte Beaton, who was awarded a Certificate of Merit for creating and organizing the Sky Valley Citizens Academy. His 17-year-old daughter Emily was also recognized and given a Letter of Commendation for her own contributions to the academy.

“Lt. Monte Beaton undertook a project last year that was community-minded, progressive and professional,” said Communications Director Shari Ireton. “He organized, staffed, facilitated and recruited for the largest citizens’ academy ever held by the sheriff’s office.”

The Sky Valley Citizens Academy started on Feb. 6, 2014, and concluded on May 1. The 13-week series was held at Sultan Middle School and included one Saturday field trip to Taylor’s Landing in Snohomish. The academy, which was free to attend, included presentations on topics including patrol procedures, traffic operations, K9 enforcement, major crime investigations, jail operations and crime scene technology. It also included a live SWAT demonstration.

The series was co-facilitated by Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Det. Danny Pitocco, who recently retired after 16 years with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

Ireton explained that Beaton’s accomplishment was impressive because he had only been recently promoted to the chief of police for the City of Sultan and East County commander.

“Several of his colleagues suggested he wait a year or two to hold the academy, being so new to the job,” Ireton said. “They didn’t know Monte very well, because when Monte hears ‘can’t do,’ he actually hears ‘must do.’”

Beaton was sworn in as Sultan’s police chief in August 2013, after Undersheriff Rob Beidler left to join Trenary’s command staff. Beaton, who lives in Arlington with his wife, Pamela, has been in law enforcement for approximately 24 years, and with the sheriff’s office for more than 10. The father of six has served as a volunteer coach for Arlington’s Youth Football Association, is a member of the Arlington Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus.

Prior to coming to work in Sultan, he served at the chief of police in Darrington.

In addition to coordinating the Sky Valley Citizen’s Academy, Beaton has been involved in Sultan’s community-wide effort to address drug abuse, property crimes and homelessness by working with the Sultan Block Watch and attending Sultan Community Task Force meetings.

Last summer, he helped spearhead a massive cleanup project south of U.S. 2, in Sultan. By enlisting the aid of Snohomish County Public Works, Parks, Solid Waste and the Sheriff’s Office, Beaton helped facilitate the removal of more than 12 tons of refuse from the area known as Steelhead County Park.

His goal in organizing the academy was to be able to solidify relationships between the citizens and members of law enforcement. He wanted to give people the opportunity to get to know the officers on a personal level and experience a positive interaction with them.

“Because of his success, his model was duplicated with citizens’ academies this year at both the north and south precincts,” Ireton said. “For his hard work, dedication, ‘where there’s will, there’s a way’ attitude that exemplifies the values of the sheriff’s office, this Certificate of Merit is awarded to Lt. Monte Beaton.”

Other honorees

Beaton’s daughter Emily was awarded a Letter of Commendation for her contributions to the academy, which included baking fresh cookies and treats every week.

“Every night, the participants of the citizens’ academy would be welcomed to the Sultan Middle School by the smell of homemade cookies, because Lt. Beaton’s daughter Emily would make the hour-drive with her dad each week and treat the academy to her baking,” Ireton said.

She brought a tip jar to help offset the cost of the ingredients but, after the Oso landslide occurred, decided the funds could be put to a better use. So she donated the money to the victims of the tragedy, as well as the first-responders.

“She kept none of the money for herself,” Beaton said. “Emily made it possible for the members of the Sky Valley Citizens Academy to help the victims and those in the recovery effort in their time of need.”

Emily raised approximately $750 for the slide victims and the Oso first-responders. Roughly $450 was taken to the Darrington Family Resource Center, and the rest went to the Oso Fire Department. On the weekends, Emily made cookies, pies and other food items that they would deliver to the Oso Fire Department for the volunteers working at the scene of the slide.

“For her creative and generous spirit in sharing her culinary skills with the residents of the Sky Valley and for raising funds for those affected by the county’s greatest tragedy, this Letter of Commendation is awarded to Emily Beaton,” Ireton said.

A senior at Arlington High School, Emily is a 4.0 student who is on her way to becoming school valedictorian, along with five other students. A member of the National Honor Society (NHS), Emily fulfils the community service obligations that come with NHS membership through things like food drives and volunteer shifts at the local animal shelter. She works one day each week at the Rhodes River Ranch in Oso, where she is a dishwasher.

Already accepted into two colleges, Emily looks forward to furthering her education this fall.

“I want to double-major in political science and journalism,” she said.

Emily said that baking for the academy afforded her the opportunity to bake for a large group of people, something that she enjoyed. Approximately 60 Sky Valley residents signed up for the academy, with attendance fluctuating slightly from week to week.

“People like to eat my cookies and stuff and I like to make people happy,” Emily said.

All of her baked goods were prepared using fresh eggs from her own chickens – eggs that she sells for her college fund. She has also published her own cookbook, “Beaton’s Baked Goods.” The book includes recipes for sweet treats like chocolate cheesecake brownies, Oreo cupcakes, lemon cookies and more.

To Emily, having a father in law enforcement is just the way it is – Beaton’s been a police officer all her life. He does, however, tend to make her friends a little nervous.

“They say that he’s very intimidating,” Emily said, quickly asserting that actually, her dad isn’t intimidating at all. To her, he’s just dad.

Beaton is thankful to all the instructors he recruited to participate at the Sky Valley Citizens Academy, and attributes the success of the academy to their efforts.

“Those instructors – they made that academy what it was. I just gave them the venue to come in there and teach what they know,” Beaton said. “It was just a great opportunity to show the public a side of us that they don’t normally see.”

He is also thankful to Trenary for allowing him to take his idea and bring it to life.

“We wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of the sheriff,” Beaton said.

Most of all, Beaton said he is hopeful that the citizens’ academy model can serve to diminish the negative perception of law enforcement that he finds to be so prevalent throughout the nation. He wanted to invite the community to interact candidly with the men and women who dress for work every day in 40 pounds worth of uniform and bulletproof vest.

Law enforcement officers are normal people, Beaton said. They are fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives – regular people who just happen to have an extraordinary job.

“We’re there to serve,” Beaton said. “We’re there to catch bad guys and help the good folks.”

]]>http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/03/03/awards-ceremony-honors-chief-daughter/feed/0Monroe-area teens make a difference on MLK Dayhttp://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/01/27/monroe-area-teens-make-%e2%80%a8a-difference-mlk-day/
http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/01/27/monroe-area-teens-make-%e2%80%a8a-difference-mlk-day/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 19:44:04 +0000http://www.monroemonitor.com/?p=12626Rather than taking the day of, more than 300 teen and adult volunteers spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering. Monroe area students volunteered at 14 service projects across Snohomish county, and locally at the Matthew House Thrift Store, where they sorted and organized donations. Projects ranged from planting trees, park clean ups and assisting [...]

Students from nearby high schools, including Sultan High School, spent the day potting trees at Sound Salmon Solutions on Lake Stevens. These trees will be planted in salmon ecosystems this spring. Photo courtesy of Sound Salmon Solutions

Rather than taking the day of, more than 300 teen and adult volunteers spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering. Monroe area students volunteered at 14 service projects across Snohomish county, and locally at the Matthew House Thrift Store, where they sorted and organized donations.

“We look forward to the MLK Day of Service all year,” said Paulette Jacobson, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) director of Snohomish County, sponsored by Catholic Community Services. “Our Senior Corps volunteers work alongside teens, sharing their skills and experiences. This intergenerational match-up is fun for both the seniors and teens.”

The annual day of service is a partnership between United Way of Snohomish County, YMCA of Snohomish County, Catholic Community Services, Senior Corps-RSVP and United Parcel Service.

]]>http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/01/27/monroe-area-teens-make-%e2%80%a8a-difference-mlk-day/feed/0Monroe resident honored for exceptional volunteer workhttp://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/01/20/monroe-resident-honored-exceptional-volunteer-work/
http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/01/20/monroe-resident-honored-exceptional-volunteer-work/#commentsTue, 20 Jan 2015 19:21:33 +0000http://www.monroemonitor.com/?p=12565Monroe Fire Department Volunteer Ed Faulds was already recognized for his dedication and commitment to the fire department’s prevention and pre-fire planning division last June. So, in December, when they named him the 2014 Administrative Staff Member of the Year, he was a little surprised. Faulds, who has been serving as the department’s pre-incident planning [...]

Monroe Fire Department Volunteer Ed Faulds was already recognized for his dedication and commitment to the fire department’s prevention and pre-fire planning division last June.

So, in December, when they named him the 2014 Administrative Staff Member of the Year, he was a little surprised.

Faulds, who has been serving as the department’s pre-incident planning technician for nearly two years, has lived in Monroe nearly all his life. The 53-year-old volunteers at the fire department three days a week, working to craft a series of digital building schematics for all of the high-occupancy structures in Monroe. The schematics will be electronically accessible via a county-wide system called New World, in an effort to enhance public safety communications used by first responders during an emergency.

Firefighters will be able to view the plans on portable computers while en route to an incident.

Monroe Fire Chief Jamie Silva explained that New World is scheduled to go live in June 2015. The system will give first responders immediate access to information such as a building’s access points, fire protection features, electrical panel locations and the location of any hazardous storage.

“It gives us the information at our fingertips,” Silva said. “[Faulds] volunteers his time, and he’s been doing a fantastic job.”

Drafting for safety

Faulds uses a CAD Zone architectural software application called Fire Zone to develop the highly detailed building diagrams. He attended a class to learn the software, and was able to use previous CAD experience to comprehensively master the program.

So far, Faulds has completed renderings of Monroe High School, the Monroe Correctional Complex, Valley General Hospital and several other high-occupancy structures. He is currently in the process of diagraming the Brookdale Senior Living Community. The work is fairly labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it’s work that Faulds finds fulfilling.

“My job at Monroe Fire is most enjoyable for me,” Faulds said. “It’s always good to volunteer and give back.”

Prior to volunteering at the fire department, Faulds and his wife, Reneé, owned and operated Monroe Floral (113 McDougal St.).

“It’s been there since 1946,” Faulds said. “I bought flowers there when I was a kid.”

Ed and Reneé bought the flower shop right after their daughter Jordan was born, and for the first 10 years, Faulds worked for Kimberly-Clark, Everett’s waterfront pulp mill, while his wife managed the shop operations. Eventually, she decided to return to her career as a paralegal, so Faulds managed the store while continuing his career at Kimberly-Clark.

And then in January 2005, everything changed in an instant.

Life changes

While on his way to work at 4:30 a.m., Faulds hit a patch of black ice on U.S. 2, which caused his vehicle to cross the centerline and collide with a semi-truck. Faulds sustained a T3 spinal cord injury in the accident, which resulted in paraplegia from the chest down.

“It’s one of those life-changing events,” he said. “But nothing slows you down I guess, it just motivates you to do even more.”

Faulds spent three months in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the accident. After an adjustment period, he knew he wanted only one thing; to get out of that hospital bed and resume his life. Faulds explained that psychological evaluations on newly injured spinal cord patients are standard and typically used to gauge the patient’s level of depression. He made a swift and favorable impression on the psychologist who performed his evaluation.

“When he left, he just said, ‘There’s no problem. He needs a chair,’” Faulds said.

Even while still in the hospital, Faulds did not let the accident slow him down one bit.

“They were always paging me,” Faulds recalled. “‘Will Ed the florist please return to the fourth-floor rehab?’ Because I’d be down on the street or out wandering through the building trying to figure out how to get used to using that chair.”

Faulds resumed management at Monroe Floral when he got out of the hospital, but he was unable to return to his job at Kimberly-Clark. He retired on disability, and worked full-time at the flower shop for another eight years before selling it to Monroe resident Jennifer Wirt in 2012. Since then, he’s focused on his family and increased his service to the community through extensive volunteerism.

“For me, it’s always been about doing for others,” Faulds said. “I’ve just always served the community as a business owner and through my work in the Lions Club.”

Continued volunteerism

Faulds joined the Monroe Lions Club in 2013. He loves the significant charitable accomplishments that he is able to achieve through the organization. Last year, the group were able to obtain cataract surgery for a gentleman who was going blind, enabling him to retain his sight, along with his independence.

A 1980 Monroe High School graduate, Faulds also enjoys the Lions Club’s emphasis on supporting the Monroe School District by providing scholarship opportunities to local students.

And he had a great time at the Lions Club’s annual fishing derby event, which takes place every spring at Lake Tye. Each year, the lake is stocked with trout by a company called Trout Unlimited, and kids are invited to come and participate in the fishing derby for free.

In addition to his work at with the Lions Club and the Monroe Fire Department, Faulds serves as a volunteer at the University of Washington Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center in Seattle, where he mentors newly injured spinal-cord patients. Faulds strives to be a positive example for those facing the challenge of a new spinal-cord injury, so that they can have hope for the future. He tries to help them develop the understanding that they can still lead productive lives.

“Our main goal is to just let them know that you can function, and you can go on,” he said.

For spinal injury patients, it’s a major adjustment, but it’s one that Faulds has managed while maintaining a positive attitude. He hopes that he can help other patients achieve the same.

“You go from being 6-feet tall to being 3-and-a-half feet tall,” Faulds said. “So yeah, you just get used to being shorter. That’s it.”

Embracing life

For Faulds, it’s been all about making the best out of life. His family has long been an integral part of the Monroe community; his Godfather, Claude Faulds, was one of the original settlers in Monroe. References to Claude Faulds can be found in editions of the Monroe Monitor from the 1920s.

Ed moved to Monroe with his family when he was 5 years old, and lived on Woods Creek Road, where his family owned a blueberry farm. His father, William Faulds, who passed away in 2010, served with the Monroe Lion’s Club before him.

In February, Ed and Reneé will celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary. His daughter Jordan, who graduated from Monroe High School in 2010, recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Northwest University in Kirkland. Jordan is planning on furthering her studies in Christian ministry, and will be going back to obtain her master’s degree.

Faulds said that it could take a number of years before all the high-occupancy structure designs are completed in their digital format for the fire department.

Faulds was nominated for the Administrative Employee of the Year award by multiple co-workers at the fire department.

“I was pretty surprised,” he said. “It’s really rewarding to do this kind of thing.”

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Guptill said that Faulds’ contributions to the pre-incident planning program will save time and will potentially increase firefighter safety.

“Ed was selected as the Administrative Employee of the Year for 2014 based on his tremendous work on this project,” Guptill said. “In a relatively short period of time, Ed has established himself as a valued and well-respected member of the Monroe Fire Department family.”